The US military fired on a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman yesterday after accusing it of trying to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports.
The military said the vessel had ignored warnings to stop, prompting an American helicopter to fire missiles into the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova, disabling the ship.
Details of the incident emerged as the US president told reporters late on Tuesday night that “we totally control the Strait of Hormuz ... Nobody else, only us”. "At some point, maybe they'll do something and then they get blown away," he added of Iran.
Iran was resolute on Tuesday it continued to exert power over the strait, and that the US must end the war before they will allow normal shipping to be restored.
Mohsen Rezaee, the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on social media that the “message is clear” that the strait will remain shut until the US agrees to terms and pulls back.
Earlier this week, Trump snubbed Iran’s six conditions for reopening the strait, which included “payment in full” for damage inflicted on Iran throughout the war.
Watch: Trump demands compensation from Iran in snub to six-point ultimatum
Number of vessels passing through Strait of Hormuz drops to one-week low
The number of vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to a one-week low of eight on Tuesday, according to the latest shipping data.
Ship owners continue to avoid the waterway, through which 130 to 140 ships typically transited each day before the US-Israeli war was launched on 28 February, as hostilities continue in the Middle East.
Tuesday’s tally dropped below 10-day average of 12, for the lowest daily count since August 5, Kpler data showed.
Just one of the ships exited the strait, with the rest still making their way through at the time of reporting.
The seven entering all took the Iranian route.
Separate LSEG data showed 11 transits on Tuesday, down from 14 the prior day.
Oil prices climb above $89 a barrel
The price of Brent crude has climbed 0.8 per cent to $89.57 a barrel, following fresh attacks on shipping in the Middle East as hopes fade for a resolution to the Iran conflict.
The US and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis both reported attacks on shipping.
Tehran said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepted Iran's conditions.
The six-month-old conflict showed no signs of ending soon, despite repeated claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that a deal was imminent.
Markets have swung between optimism and disappointment since the war began, as investors tried to gauge the risk of a broader disruption to energy supplies and global trade.
Just 29% of expected midterm voters say they approve of Trump’s handling of Iran
A cable TV polling expert claims that numbers from two surveys conducted two years apart show just how deeply President Donald Trump has disappointed America's voters when it comes to Iran.
CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten said Tuesday that a July 2024 poll of people who were extremely motivated to vote in that year’s presidential election found that 53 percent were confident Trump would be able to handle the situation in Iran, according to a video clip posted online.
But a July poll of people extremely motivated to vote in November's midterm elections shows that just 29 percent now approve of how Trump is actually handling Iran, Enten said.
"We're talking about a 24-point fall in just two years," he said. "What was an advantage for President Trump going into the 2024 election amongst those who really wanted to turn out and vote has turned into a tremendous disadvantage this time around."
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Iranian-backed Houthis kill 6 in attack on vessel
At least six people were killed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Yemeni authorities said.
Yemen's coast guard said the dead included four crew members and two members of the government-allied National Resistance Forces.
Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the Yemeni commercial vessel, according to Yemen's internationally recognised government.
They are the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest bout of fighting in the Arab country.
Drones hit Iranian Kurdish opposition camps
Four drones hit three Iranian Kurdish opposition camps near Erbil in Iraq this morning, with no casualties reported, security sources told Reuters.
Pakistan says three sailors killed in Red Sea attack
At least three Pakistani nationals were killed in an attack on a ship in the Red Sea, the foreign ministry said.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel,” the foreign minister said on X.
The alleged attack comes as Iran-backed Houthis have been accused of increasing attacks on vessels near the waters of Yemen.
Supporters of Iranian government gather in Tehran
Syria says IAEA will announce 'significant progress' on nuclear file
Syria will host a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency in the coming days to announce "significant progress" on the issue of nuclear materials, Syria's Atomic Energy Commission said.
Since the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, Syria's new authorities have committed to working with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog to address the legacy of nuclear activities during decades of Assad family rule
Israeli military 'mistakenly' launches interceptor in Lebanon
The Israeli army said an interceptor was mistakenly launched in Southern Lebanon this morning.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the interceptor had been launched at a target that was later confirmed to be IDF fire from operations carried out within the Security Zone.